Kittitas County approves 15-year extension of Suncadia development agreement

On March 30, 2026, the Kittitas County Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution to extend the Suncadia Master Plan Resort development agreement 15 years, moving the expiration date from 2030 to 2045 and authorizing a memorandum of understanding that establishes annual compliance reviews.

Jamie Hayling of Community Development Services told the board that the applicant provided "a proposal with a matrix of compliance with 131 conditions of the agreement," and that staff and the applicant negotiated an MOU with eight steps that would move submittals through annual compliance review back to the board as needed. "We would recommend that we go ahead and authorize, sign [the] resolution ... to extend this agreement from the current expiration date of 2030 to 2045," Hayling said.

A CDS staff member explained enforcement procedures in the existing development agreement, noting staff would conduct site visits, issue written notifications for noncompliance and allow the applicant to respond; "we have a 90 day window to rectify that issue," the staff member said. Staff told the board they opted not to require board approval for each annual update because past compliance reviews for Suncadia have been handled by staff and the agreement already contains enforcement provisions.

The resolution authorizes the chair's signature on the second amendment to the amended and restated development agreement and the related MOU. Commissioners spoke in support, saying the revised conditions and the annual review process should address public concerns and create a record of compliance. The board closed the hearing on the item after adopting the resolution.

The county will implement the MOU's annual review steps and receive staff reports on compliance in future meetings; the record closed on this hearing and the board moved on to subsequent agenda items.